Removal of p-chloronitrobenzene from wastewater by aluminum and low melting point metals (Al-Ga-In-Sn) alloy

Recently, the methods of the degradation of p-chloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) have been studied by numerous scholars. In the present study, Al-Ga-In-Sn alloy was found to be able to effectively remove p-CNB. When the initial concentration of p-CNB was 10 mu M, and the Al-Ga-In-Sn alloy dosage was 0.25 g, the p-CNB completely mineralized within 30 mins. The effects of the initial temperature, alloy dosage, pollutant concentration, pH and inorganic anions on the removal of organics were studied systematically. To characterize the alloy, XRD, SEM, XPS, HRTEM, EDX and DSC were respectively used, and the results thereof were used for proposing the mechanism of the reduction reaction. The reduction of p-CNB can be divided into four processes. The present study provides consideration of the utilization of Al-Ga-In-Sn alloy in the abatement of refractory pollutants in environments, in addition to an understanding of the mechanism of said system.